


14 - Is Something Burning?

by VickeyStar



Series: Whumptober 2020 [14]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Fire, Juliet Higgins Whump, Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV Whump, Whumptober 2020, kinda branding?, more metaphorically than anything else, oof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27007495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VickeyStar/pseuds/VickeyStar
Summary: Thomas wakes up to the scent of smoke.Branding | Heat Exhaustion | Fire
Relationships: Juliet Higgins & The Lads, Juliet Higgins & Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV & The Lads
Series: Whumptober 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946791
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	14 - Is Something Burning?

**Author's Note:**

> We vaguely remember a scene in the Viper episode where Juliet was walking down stairs, and we think they were wood. We couldn't find the scene on yt, so if we're wrong please just bear with us.  
> (Also for a house made of what looks to be primarily stone, there's a lot of wood. Didn't the guest house get termites once?)  
> Anyways, enjoy!  
> ~ Sleef/Vic

Thomas wakes up to the scent of smoke.

There’s a beeping noise, as he opens his eyes, and his room is brighter than it should be.

He shoots out of bed, immediately registering the heat his body feels as he moves, hissing when his left forearm brushes against the metal of the lamp on his nightstand.

His mind races, immediately skipping past how the fire started and straight to who’s on the property.

Kumu and the crew have likely gone home for the night, so that just leaves him and Juliet, plus the hounds of hell.

Speaking of which, Thomas’s train of thought is broken as barking breaks through the roar of the flames, two dogs desperately pawing and jumping at his front door.

_That isn’t good._

Grabbing his phone and dialing, he immediately breaks one of the windows of his bedroom, knowing the damage will be repaired later, carefully grabbing some lightly melted sandals and leaving the guest house, only to be confronted with twins, staring him down.

“Do we have to do this now, boys?”

The dogs simply start racing toward the main house, which he can see is currently completely engulfed in flames, and he’s chasing after them when someone answers.

_“911, what’s your emergency?”_

“There’s a massive fire at Robin’s Nest. Send paramedics and a helicopter to help with extinguishing the flames.”

He hangs up before the man on the other end of the phone can respond, knowing his instructions will be followed.

Thomas makes his way through the house, thankful that the entire first floor is made of stone, not wood, so all he has to do is avoid the furniture and interior decorating.

The dogs are sniffing around ahead, keeping closer to the ground than Thomas can afford to as he coughs harshly into his elbow.

“Higgins!”

He keeps coughing, ignoring the burn on his arm as he maneuvers around expensive rugs and scorched pottery, making his way to the stairs.

“Juliet!”

He hears her call back, just barely loud enough to be heard over the noise of the house burning.

“Thomas!”

When he sees her, she’s in her pajamas, covered in soot and smoke, with the heat in the air having immediately drenched her in sweat.

There’s a wet towel hanging off of her shoulders, and she’s quick to toss one his way as she dizzily makes her way to the top of the stairs.

The lads wait with Thomas, for once ignoring his presence as she steps on the first step, only for the wood to snap, causing her to jerk back, hissing in pain as her arm bumps against the hot railing.

_The one thing in this house that had to be wooden,_ Thomas thinks as the step collapses.

That’s a lie, he knows, there’s wood all over the place.

He’s just annoyed.

Juliet’s cradling her arm, crouching down to try to get away from the smoke as sirens fill the noise of the distance.

Her skin looks clammy already, and the lads let out twin whines as they wait for Thomas to save her.

He purses his lips, trying to hold back a cough and knowing that they can’t trust the stairs.

“Jump. I’ll catch you.”

Her surprised gaze meets his, and she looks more dazed than she should be.

_This won’t end well, at all._

She seems to attempt to take a deep breath, immediately regretting it as she coughs extra hard, falling over onto her side and entirely too close to the burning stairs for Thomas’s comfort.

“Juliet, we need to do this _now_!” He shouts, getting her attention again.

He backs up, holding his arms out.

“I’ll catch you.”

She nods, immediately standing and backing up a bit, taking a moment to judge her strategy before running forward and jumping over the flames, crashing into him as they land on his back.

All the air in his lungs suddenly decides to make a hasty exit, and he can feel her elbow in his stomach.

“Thomas, are you alright?”

The elbow is removed, only for a hand to tap his cheek.

“Thomas.”

The hand is replaced by a damp surface, her towel rousing him enough for him to remember that they’re about to die, if they don’t get out.

“Thomas, we need to go,” Juliet weakly insists, still on her side and just barely keeping herself from completely falling onto the ground.

That’s what gets him up, he’ll realize later.

Seeing her so weak, the worried gleam in her eyes, the wavering fear in her voice as she speaks through raspy breaths.

He gets up, pulling her with him as they stand, swaying in the dizzying heat.

The sirens have reached the gate, and they both know that the authorities have their own codes for the facility, so they don’t have to let them in.

The two make their way to the exit, both swaying dangerously, only to be steadied by Zeus and Apollo, on either side of them.

The rousing barks and guidance of the dogs is probably what saves them both, that night.

~*~

Thomas sits on the bumper of the ambulance, watching Juliet get checked over as her arm gets bandaged.

“You really should keep the mask on, sir. You both breathed in a lot of smoke.”

He looks over, seeing a paramedic holding out an already opened water bottle.

He chugs it in less than thirty seconds.

The paramedic purses his lips, taking the empty bottle and putting it in a small trash can nearby.

“You both got heat exhaustion. You’re going to be incredibly thirsty, likely getting some muscle cramps and headaches. There’s not much we can do besides give you some basic antibiotics and something to settle your stomachs. As for your burns, you’ll need to change the bandages daily, but we’ll show you both how to do that. Though, unfortunately, it’s likely you’ll both have scars.”

Thomas absorbs the information absentmindedly, watching Juliet as she raptly pays attention to her paramedic, the woman carefully explaining how to wrap the wound around her arm.

Honestly, she probably already knows how, but why not pay attention, y’know?

He glances at his own arm, mind only just now noticing how bad the burn was that they had to bandage his whole arm, and how they’re bandaging hers.

Twin wounds.

Kind of like a branding, he thinks, looking out to the darkened shell of a mansion.

A reminder of what had happened, here, even after everything’s inevitably rebuilt.

He can’t bring himself to be too angry about the idea, not wanting to forget tonight any more than any other night, in particular.

“How’d the fire even start?” he asks, a nearby fireman overhearing.

“Something went wrong with the pipes. A small chemical reaction in the sewers, the fire raced up the pipes to both buildings. Sorry about your stuff, it’s doubtful that much of it is salvageable.”

He doesn’t really have the energy to be upset, mostly just tired.

Though he is glad that Rick talked him into keeping all of his memorabilia with his friend’s, in a safe, secure location.

Most of everything else is either easily replaceable, or rarely used.

Juliet approaches on shaky feet, a small oxygen tank on wheels being dragged behind her as she leans next to him, lads having been sent away to the vet.

“The firemen found something.”

He lifts an eyebrow, intrigued.

She holds out a small item, and it’s easy to recognize his hat, only slightly scorched.

He accepts the cap, running his thumb against the rim.

Then, he puts it on her head.

She lifts an eyebrow now, tilting her head a bit as he studies her.

“I’m glad you’re alright.”

A smile graces her lips, barely seen through the mask, and she bumps his shoulder, causing his arm to go around her shoulders.

“I’m glad you’re alright, too.”

They know they’re not, at least not yet.

They’re still going to have to navigate their injuries, the symptoms of the heat exhaustion, contact people to repair the buildings, and check in with their friends, but in that moment?

They’re both alright.

edn


End file.
